One Step Closer

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In just a few weeks everything could change for Dennis Burns, who hasn’t had any contact with his daughters for 7 months.

Over 3 1/2 years ago after a 13-month custody battle, a Colorado judge ruled in favor of Burns, declaring him the primary residential parent. Just 3 weeks later, violating a court order, Burns’ ex-wife fled to her native Argentina with daughters Victoria(7) and Sophia(5).

The Hague treaty is an agreement among countries designed to prevent or resolve cases like Burns’. The U.S. State Department describes it as “a multilateral treaty that provides protection for children from the harmful effects of abduction and wrongful retention across international borders.” In theory, children should be returned within six to eight weeks after a Hague application is filed and a court gets the case. Argentina became a signatory country in 1991

Burns filed an application through the Hague convention child abduction treaty to have Victoria and Sophia returned to him. Burns has given his all in the fight to get his girls back; something that’s become a “messy international legal battle.” Argentina’s Supreme Court has denied the last of appeals by his ex-wife and has ruled in his favor; the decision is final. Burns has won the case.